Riders hoping to qualify for the 51st Washington International Horse Show still have time to earn points that will allow them to compete at one of the country’s leading equestrian competitions. Show officials announced the 2009 qualifying periods for hunter, jumper and equitation classes. Entries will close on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. The 51st annual Washington International will be held October 20-25, 2009, at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Complete details on qualifying criteria as...

After a second-place finish on Thursday in the grand prix, Catherine Haddad and Cadillac rose to the occasion on Friday with a win in the grand prix special at the Vidauban CDI*** in France. This marked the sixth grand prix win for Haddad and her 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood this year. The annual show at Vidauban, which has traditionally been a jumping show, added international dressage to the schedule this year, and the competition did not disappoint. Taking place over three days, the...

The Vermont Summer Festival, the largest ‘AA’ rated hunter-jumper horse show held in New England, has a huge economic impact on the state of Vermont with an estimated $18 million spent throughout the duration of the six-week competition. With approximately 1,000 horses competing each week at the Vermont Summer Festival held July 1-August 9 in East Dorset, VT, and approximately 3,000 people related to the horse show visiting the area on a daily basis, the economic impact on the local community...

Gladstone, NJ – After a four day battle, the rain finally won at the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions, and collectively the Ground Jury and the management decided that, in the best interest of the horses, the competition was suspended after the Young Riders rode first thing Sunday morning. This meant that Leslie Morse was crowned USEF National Grand Prix Champion for the fifth time. Morse GP Raymeister (SusanJStickle.com) and her beloved 15-year-old Swedish...

Gladstone, NJ - The rain just couldn’t help itself. After a dry day on Friday, the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions at the USET Foundation Headquarters – like much of the rest of the country, was again, drenched. The Grand Prix Freestyle, which was expected to be the highlight of the weekend – didn’t disappoint. But Adrienne Lyle surprised a few (including herself) by ending up on top of the leader board with Wizard. “Basically,...

Jocelyn Wiese and Lamborghini (Susan J. Stickle Photography ) By Joanie Morris Gladstone, NJ – Under the banner of a chilly relentless rain, the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions got underway on Thursday, June 18. The “Brentina Cup” Riders (aged 20-28) were the first of five groups of horses and riders vying for National Championships titles. The nine “Brentina Cup” Riders were the only division to get a performance in as the rest of...

Six-year-old Bijoux, owned by Janet Rolfs and ridden by Missy Fladland, is off to a phenomenal start to her young dressage career. Among her many honors, her most recent victory includes taking the reserve champion title at the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Central Selection Trials. The young Hanoverian mare (Bugatti Hilltop x Whimiscal L), bred by Margaret Drury, started her performance career only a year and a half ago as a coming five-year-old in the fall of 2007. After seven months of...

Starlight, the stunning black Oldenburg stallion owned by Rick Rockefeller-Silvia’s Dream Street Stallions, is now in Europe under the tutelage of Karin Rehbein where he is sure to wow European fans with his amazing movement and outstanding looks. Prior to returning to Europe, Starlight won rave reviews from judges at Devon when he was crowned Devon’s Grand Champion Stallion in 2008. “Starlight has had an illustrious career so far—multiple Horse of The Year titles, the Championship at...

The tension is mounting as the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series arrives in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, this week. This event marks the halfway stage of the team challenge, which pits 10 great show jumping nations against each other in an eight-leg battle for survival in the premiership of the sport. The USA holds the lead after scoring a superb back-to-back double at Rome and St Gallen over the past few weeks, but the pressure continues, and there is no time to rest on their laurels as they face...

Dave and Dena Lopez, of Double D Ranch, LLC, are taking the slogan of the United Professional Horsemen's Association (UPHA) to another level as they are planning a special fundraising event for the UPHA Dewey Henderson Benevolent Fund. This IRS 501(c)(3) fund was established in memory of long-time horseman, Dewey Henderson, to benefit UPHA members in need because of health issues, fires, theft, injury or accidents. Only 200 tickets will be sold for the “Kentucky brunch” prepared by Chef Cameron...